Gulf Intracoastal Waterway - Texas Gulf Coast Real Estate

T E X A S D E PA R T M E N T O F T R A N S P O R TAT I O N
Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
Photo by TexasGulfCoastOnline.com
Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in Texas
Figure 1 - Texas GIWW
Executive Summary
T
ment of an effective and safe transportation system.
he Texas Department of Transportation
(TxDOT) is the state agency charged with
providing the safe, effective and efficient
movement of people and goods. TxDOT
fulfills its mission by focusing on five
objectives: 1
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The entire GIWW is a 1,300-mile-long,
man-made canal that runs along the Gulf
of Mexico coastline from Texas’ southernmost tip at Brownsville to St. Marks, Florida
(Figure 2). The canal links all of the Gulf
Coast ports and enables these ports to
access the inland waterway system of the
United States.
Reliable Mobility
Improved Safety
System Preservation
Accelerated Project Delivery
Economic Vitality
The GIWW is the nation’s third busiest
waterway with the Texas portion handling
over 58 percent of its traffic. In Texas, the
GIWW is 423 miles long and is an important component of the state’s diversified
multimodal transportation system. In
2002, over 63 million short tons of cargo
were moved on the Texas portion of the
waterway with a commercial value of over
25 billion dollars. In combination with
ports, Texas ranked second in the nation in
total waterborne tonnage moved in the
United States. 2
To see that these objectives are met, TxDOT
has recently created a simplified operating
plan involving five steps, or strategies, for
ensuring transportation facilities are the
best they can be. They are:
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Plan It
Build It
Use It
Maintain It
Manage It
This report, the fifteenth in the series as
required by the Transportation Code, is
submitted on behalf of the Texas
Transportation Commission (commission)
to the Seventy-Ninth Texas Legislature,
summarizing the state’s sponsorship
efforts to maintain the Gulf Intracoastal
Waterway (GIWW) in Texas. The activities
of the GIWW fall under the strategy of
“Maintain It.”
Balancing the environmental issues
inherent to the unique Texas coast and the
economic and developmental possibilities
of the GIWW has been a difficult challenge. One location in particular, where
objections have led to legal recourse, is
the southernmost reach of the Texas
GIWW which flows through the Laguna
Madre. Landowners and environmental
interests have raised objections to the
placement of dredged material. To
respond to these objections, the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers (Corps), along with
TxDOT and numerous federal and state
agencies, have worked for seven years to
develop a new dredged material management plan and an update to the 1975
Environmental Impact Statement for this
The Texas portion of the GIWW (Figure 1)
is over 50 years old and presents a significant challenge to the state to maintain
and optimize the benefits of this transportation system. The GIWW has some
unique transportation advantages, and it is
essential that it be recognized as an
important feature during the develop1
Figure 2 - 1,300 Mile GIWW
1
portion of the waterway. The Dredged
Material Management Plan and Final
Environmental Impact Statement were
completed in September 2003.
The state advocates the continuance
of shallow draft navigation along with
maintenance of the GIWW by the
Corps.
TxDOT and the Corps also initiated Section
216 Studies for the Texas portion of the
GIWW. These studies address functional
and environmental problem areas.
Funding for these studies is through
congressional actions and appropriation.
In 2004, all of the GIWW studies were postponed due to funding constraints. TxDOT
considers Section 216 Studies to be important and necessary for the current and
future operation of the GIWW.
2
The state advocates the continuation
of the Corps Section 216 Studies,
which will address current and longterm needs of the GIWW in Texas.
3
The state advocates that dredged
material is to be used as a resource
when possible, using the Corps
Continuing Authorities Program, and
that the Texas Coastal Management
Program develop rules that
The GIWW was conceived, planned and
built many years ago. To build, maintain
and manage it in the future will require
the continued support of the Texas
Legislature. The GIWW is an essential
component of the state’s and nation’s
transportation network and is an integral
part of the Governor’s priority goal:
“provide for all of Texas transportation
needs for the new century.”3 To facilitate
future efforts towards this goal, the
following items are recommended for
consideration:
a) reward sponsors of environmental
beneficial usage of dredged material
projects with mitigation credits
and
b) eliminate maintenance requirements
for sponsors of beneficial usage of
dredged material projects.
2
Chapter 1
Plan It
T
he development of the Gulf Intracoastal
Waterway (GIWW) required the concerted
efforts of federal, state and local interests.
Nearly 150 years ago, planning associated
with this project began and continues
today.
In 1873, the federal government passed
the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1873. This
act appropriated funds for a survey to
“connect the inland waters along the
margin of the Gulf of Mexico from
Donaldson, Louisiana to the Rio Grande
River in Texas by cuts and canals.”This act
was the start of the development of the
Intracoastal Waterway. A series of congressional acts passed between 1925 and 1942
allowed for continued expansion of the
waterway. By 1941, the GIWW in Texas
extended from the Sabine River to Corpus
Christi with a bottom width of 100 feet
and a depth of nine feet. Legislation
passed in 1942 extended the canal to
Brownsville and changed its dimensions to
125 feet by 12 feet deep. Construction
was completed in 1949. Figure 3 depicts a
timeline of the Texas GIWW history.
Development History
In 1850, five years after Texas was admitted
to the Union, coastal business interests
began to connect portions of the state’s
coastline by dredging links between the
natural bays, lakes, rivers and bayous. In
1854, the Galveston and Brazos Canal
connected West Galveston Bay to the
Brazos River. This canal ranged in depth
from three to six feet and was the first
navigable link to be constructed on the
Texas coast.
Texas GIWW History
1949: Corpus Christi to Brownsville
finished - completing the GIWW
from Mexico to Florida
1854: Galveston-Brazos
Canal completed
Independence
Civil War
World War II
1895: First federal channel
across Galveston West Bay
1840
1850
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1902: Galveston - Brazos Canal
bought by federal government
Statehood
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
1942: Mississippi to Corpus Christi completed
World War I
1934: Mississippi to Galveston completed
Figure 3 - Timeline
3
2000
Chapter 1 Plan It
Studies and Research
The Corps, under the authority of the
Flood Control Act of 1970, has initiated
various Section 216 Studies. These studies
look at specific water resources projects
that may have changed because of physical or economic reasons. TxDOT acts as
the non-federal sponsor for the studies
involving the GIWW in Texas.
For the Texas portion of the GIWW, the
waterway was divided into five separate
Section 216 study areas. These areas have
been further divided into six studies to
focus on complex or unique problems.
Figure 4 illustrates the Section 216 Studies
in Texas.
Figure 4 - Section 216 Study Areas
4
Limited federal appropriations resulted in
the postponement of all of the Section
216 Studies in 2004. Studies to be
continued in 2005 will be determined
during the development of the Corps’
2005 Appropriations Bill. These studies are
a necessary and important review of the
waterway, particularly since the GIWW in
Texas is over 50 years old. Antiquated
facilities, erosion and navigational hazards
rank among some of the GIWW’s top challenges. Coupled with increased recreational traffic on the waterway, the
challenges result in significant delays to
commercial users of the GIWW.
In addition to the federal Section 216
Studies, TxDOT has initiated marine transportation-related studies. Several of these
marine transportation-related studies
were conducted through TxDOT’s research
program. This program, plus interagency
agreements, allowed TxDOT to participate
in studies that address various needs of
the GIWW. Research studies funded by
TxDOT are shown in Table 1-1.
TxDOT Sponsored Research
Table 1-1
PROGRAM
STUDY
RESEARCHER(S)
State Planning
Research
Containerized Freight
Movement in Texas
University of Texas, Center for
Transportation Research
State Planning
Research
Landside Access Needs for Port
and Waterway Facilities in Texas
University of Texas, Center for
Transportation Research
Interagency
Agreement
2022 Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
Master Plan
Texas A&M University, Texas
Transportation Institute
5
Chapter 2
Use and Maintain It
O
ne of the initial functions of the GIWW was
to provide protected inland transportation
of goods and troops during World War II. It
has since evolved into a multipurpose
waterway used by recreational and
commercial interests. Recreational uses
include fishing, skiing, sightseeing and
protected water transportation routes for
travelers along the coast. Commercial uses
include the movement of domestic and
international cargo, harvesting of fish and
shellfish, and servicing of the gulf and
coastal oil and gas industry.
Direct and Indirect Benefits
The GIWW provides some important direct and indirect benefits to the state, such as:
1
In 1999, the GIWW facilitated commercial and sport fishing entities to catch an estimated 25.7 million pounds of shrimp, oysters, crabs and finfish within Texas bay
systems amounting to a wholesaler’s value of $32.6 million. 4
2
In 2002, 63.39 million short tons (one short ton equals 2,000 pounds) of goods were
moved on the Texas GIWW. The estimated value of these goods was over $25 billion.
This was accomplished by approximately 99,970 barge one-way trips. 5
3
The movement of goods by barges on the intracoastal waterway is an efficient,
economical and environmentally friendly mode of transportation (Figure 5). 6
4
The movement of goods by barge is a safe mode of transportation. In 2002, according
to the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety, the total number of documented
hazardous spills in Texas was 37 by air, 1,035 by highway, 126 by railway and two by
water transportation. 7
7
Chapter 2 Use and Maintain It
Capacity
1 Barge = 15 Railcars = 60 Trucks
Efficiency
15 Railcars
60 Trucks
Distance one gallon of fuel carries one ton of cargo
60 Miles by Truck
202 Miles by Railcar
514 Miles by Barge
Emissions
Pounds produced to move one ton of cargo 1,000 miles
Hydrocarbons
.09 Barge
.46 Railcar
.63 Truck
.20 Barge
.64 Railcar
1.90 Truck
Carbon Monoxide
Oxides of Nitrogen
.53 Barge
1.83 Railcar
10.17 Truck
Figure 5 - Mode Comparison
Operational Concerns
and its associated structures do not
adequately support the state of barge
transportation today. The Brazos River
Floodgates and the Colorado River Locks
are, for example, two lock type structures
on the waterway that may need to be
removed or modified. The structures are
only 75 feet wide. To move through the
structures, vessel operators must park their
The waterway, in its current form, is over
50 years old. During the past 50 years, the
size of individual barges and towboats, the
width and length of barges lashed
together and pushed as a unit, and the
volume of traffic have steadily increased.
These factors have led many to believe
that the 1949 dimensions of the GIWW
8
the Bolivar Peninsula in Galveston County.
The acquisition process to acquire this
acreage had progressed to the condemnation phase as FY 2004 ended.
tows, break the barges apart, move them
through the locks in smaller sets or individually, and then put them back together
on the other side. This process, known as
tripping, is difficult and causes delays estimated to cost over two million dollars a
year to the towing industry at each location. 8
TxDOT, as the non-federal sponsor of the
GIWW, works with the Corps to coordinate
dredging activities during the year.
During 2003, approximately $27,400,000 in
federal funds was expended by the Corps
in 100 percent federally contracted and
funded projects to operate and maintain
the structures and navigability of the Texas
GIWW. Approximately 7,810,000 cubic
yards of sediment were dredged in eight
separate projects. Of this material, approximately 4,600,000 cubic yards were placed
in confined placement sites, 2,143,000
cubic yards were placed in open-bay sites,
and 1,067,000 cubic yards were used
beneficially. 9 Figure 6 depicts the relative
volumes that were removed and the location along the waterway.
The area in West Galveston Bay, where the
GIWW passes beneath the dual Interstate
Highway 45 bridges and the Galveston
Island Railroad Bridge, is also a major
problem. The opening for barge traffic
through these structures is only 105 feet
wide for a distance of about 800 feet.
Repairs to damages to the fender systems
of these structures cost TxDOT an estimated half million dollars each year, and
the towing industry has identified this
spot as the greatest hazard to navigation
on the entire 1,300 miles of the GIWW.
TxDOT is currently building replacement
highway bridges which will have a 300
feet opening for navigation interests.
These replacement bridges have a 2008
estimated completion date. The Coast
Guard and local legislators are working on
replacing the railroad bridge under the
authority of the Truman-Hobbs Act, but
construction funding has not been
secured at this time.
During 2004, approximately $24,000,000 in
federal funds was expended by the Corps
in 100 percent federally contracted and
funded projects to operate and maintain
the structures and navigability of the Texas
GIWW. Approximately 2,697,000 cubic
yards of sediment were dredged in two
separate projects. Of this material, approximately 1,282,000 cubic yards were placed
in confined placement sites, 1,105,000
cubic yards were placed in open-bay sites,
and 310,000 cubic yards were used beneficially. 9 Figure 6 depicts the relative
volumes that were dredged and their relative location along the waterway.
TxDOT Areas of Focus
For fiscal years (FY) 2003 and 2004, TxDOT
was appropriated $1.35 million dollars for
acquiring dredged material disposal sites.
During this period, the Corps requested
that TxDOT acquire 220 acres of land on
9
Chapter 2 Use and Maintain It
Figure 6 - FY 2003 and 2004 Dredging
10
During FY 2003–2004, TxDOT participated
in two GIWW beneficial use projects with
the Corps. TxDOT plans to combine
$138,960 in state funds with over
$3,000,000 from the Corps to create 42
acres of emergent and marshland habitat
from 210,000 cubic yards of dredged
material in Aransas and Calhoun counties.
These projects are entering the first
planting stage and should be fully
completed by 2008. Figure 7 illustrates
how a typical habitat creation beneficial
use project works.
Figure 7 - Habitat Creation
end